Metabolic Health
Here’s How a Mature-Age Couple Reversed Diabetes and Trimmed Their Bodies with Lifestyle Habits.
An inspiring story of Mark and Lucy, who reversed their diabetes mainly with 20,000 steps per day, a customized diet, and supervised fasting
Purpose of the Story
This story highlights the health transformation of a mature couple who reversed their type II diabetes and trimmed their bodies using healthy lifestyle habits such as a customized diet and workout regimen after their 70s. This piece does not provide health advice. Instead, it creates awareness of the possibilities of defeating metabolic diseases via lifestyle choices.
Healing with a Holistic Approach
The human body has a potent self-healing system. Throughout history, millions of people cured or reversed their health conditions.
I overcame a dozen health problems with healthy lifestyle habits like many others. A holistic health approach using psychosomatic health principles helps millions of people.
However, some diseases are more challenging than others. Even though many people lived without diabetes after they first got it, healthcare specialists in the field still believe that type II diabetes is not curable, meaning that the symptoms might come back if blood glucose cannot be controlled.
I witnessed many people who got rid of symptoms and lived without diabetes for many years. Their secret was to monitor and control their blood sugar with regular workouts and customized diets. I also reversed my pre-diabetic situation with metabolic syndrome symptoms and made my body insulin sensitive.
Our thoughts and emotions turn to actions. And we can turn our actions into habits. If the practices are healthy, we can create epigenetic effects with these lifestyle habits, lowering the risks of genetic constraints.
In this story, I provide a specific case representing thousands of people from my observations. As I pointed out before, 442 million people have diabetes globally.
A Brief Background of Mark and Lucy
This is an inspiring story of a mature-age couple who has seven grandchildren and organic farms managed by others. But unfortunately, Mark and Lucy were diagnosed with metabolic issues. They both got type II diabetes after their 50s, mainly due to sedentary life in the city after retiring from farm duties and excessive carbs consumption throughout their lives.
When they were working on the farm, 20 and 50 years old, they did not gain any weight and had no metabolic issues even though they consumed the same amount of food. This situation only happened after they stopped working and living in a comfortable home overlooking the ocean in an affluent suburb of Melbourne.
They did not know the side effects of refined carbs as they never got health education in their lives. Acting with misinformation was the root cause of their metabolic problems.
During a BBQ session on a sunny Sunday in our backyard, Mark teased me about how I could stay in good shape at this age. Before I had a chance to respond, our humorous next-door neighbor quickly said, “because he is hyperactive and hyper-passive.”
This statement confused and intrigued Mark. When I shared my exercise regimen with Mark, Lucy joined the conversation and started picking my brain. I told them I walk at least 10,000 steps barefoot on grass or beach sand.
I also mentioned other friends and the success story of a friend whom I introduced in a story titled Amanda Lost Fat and Improved Her Health with Love of Dogs.
In addition, I mentioned my passion for trampolines and calisthenics for my hyperactivity. Furthermore, I told them I meditate three times a day which my neighbor characterized as hyper-passive.
Even though trampoline and calisthenics sounded attractive to them, Lucy said they were pie in the sky for them. But both were very much interested in walking as they loved it. However, the longest walk they did was around 20 minutes, through the blocks of their suburb and occasionally on the beach in summer.
A week later, I introduced Mark and Lucy to our fitness group. They found several like-minded people who were passionate about walking. They all had dogs. With this inspiration, Lucy decided to adopt a dog. Mark loved the idea. Their grandchildren were thrilled.
Within a month, day achieve 10,000 steps daily. Mark said his sleep improved, and he lost a few kilos. So did Lucy. This time they invited us to a BBQ in their backyard.
Mark asked me what would happen if they could double the walking time.
I explained the benefits.
Then the magic started in their lives.
The Magic of 20,000 Steps Daily
I told them I did 20K steps years ago for several months to reduce my fat percentage. It was the best exercise for me at the time. However, nowadays, I diversify my workouts for various reasons.
For example, my goal is not to lose any weight anymore as I am at my ideal weight and keep my lean muscles with my customized diet and workout regime.
However, their goal was to lose as much visceral fat as possible. They wanted to get rid of metabolic syndrome, reduce the effects of type II diabetes, and make their bodies insulin sensitive.
I told them it would be valuable to discuss undertaking a 20 K-step walking regimen with their family doctor. The next few days, Mark called me to inform me that their family doctor endorsed them and was excited about their thoughts.
As they had a lovely dog and supportive community members, they started walking around 20,000 steps a day in three sessions, before breakfast, two hours after lunch, and one hour after dinner.
As they were retired, they had plenty of time. Each week they lost around a kilo. This measurable progress inspired this couple. Mark said he slept like a baby after each walking session. He struggled with sleeping in the past, but Lucy had no sleep problems.
Unexpected Results from Planks
They needed effective yet low-impact workouts to keep their lean muscles. In addition to walking, I told them the most effective workout would be planking. I gave them a brief introduction to the benefits of isometric training.
They loved the idea. As I had a mature age friend who benefitted from planks significantly, I gave her as an example. They wanted to meet Audrey, whom I introduced in an article titled Audrey Eliminated Back Pain and Transformed Her Appearance Dedicating to Six Minute Planks.
So I introduced Mark and Lucy to Audrey during a BBQ. Audrey inspired them and instructed them to use planks effectively.
They started with 20 seconds and managed two minutes within a few months. After that, they got addicted to planks as they did to walking.
Regular planks, after a few months, started improving their core. After losing visceral fat from the abdominal area and strengthening it with planks, they had better-shaped physics.
In addition, Mark started doing push-ups to improve his lean muscles. Lucy did not need push-ups but gradually increased her plank time as Audrey did.
Seeing noticeable changes in their body, they got more inspired to defeat their diabetes. They already addressed one of the metabolic syndrome symptoms: shrinking their waistline.
Brief Meditation Sessions
As they got tired after long walks and planks each day, I introduced them to evening meditation for half an hour before bedtime.
Both Lucy and Mark loved the idea of meditation. They made a commitment to do it for at least 20 minutes every day. They later increased it to an hour.
Meditation further improved their hormonal balance, primarily by lowering excess cortisol after long workouts giving them restorative sleep each night.
Curiosity opened the path.
Mark asked whether I really believed diabetes could be reversible. He was also experiencing the fatty-liver disease.
My answer was yes, but it would require a holistic approach and help from qualified healthcare professionals.
Mark was willing to do anything to defeat diabetes and metabolic syndrome. He did not mind investing money, time, and effort in his health.
Besides regular workouts, Mark asked what else they could do to lose more belly fat and lower the symptoms of type II diabetes.
The Power of Dietary Changes and Customized Diet
I told them about a customized diet focusing on blood glucose and improving insulin sensitivity. He had never heard about a customized diet nor knew about insulin sensitivity.
I gave them the contact of a dietician who had helped many friends before. Mark and Lucy loved the idea. They attended the first session. The certified dietician obtained and analyzed their long medical history.
Then, the dietician (who specialized in type II diabetes) created a customized diet for them. The problem with their diet was too many refined carbs and inadequate protein required for their age.
The key points were reducing refined carbs and moderately increasing protein from bioavailable sources as they were highly active with walking and isometric training.
In addition, they already consumed plenty of healthy fats from plants and fish, getting enough monosaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids.
Their customized diet resembled a typical Mediterranean diet that Lucy and Mark efficiently implemented using their organic farms with various plants, fish, poultry, and cattle.
Cutting all refined carbs and stopping snacking was the best impact on their blood sugar control. The dietician helped them to transition to eating three main meals with no snacks.
Mark and Lucy never stopped learning and asking me questions about what else they could do. I mentioned time-restricted eating, which was a foreign concept to them. When I said fasting, their first reaction was adverse and pessimistic as they associated it with religious practices.
However, when I explained the benefits and popularity of the modern version of fasting, also known as intermittent fasting, they got convinced and approached the point more optimistically.
Even though I have fasted for years, I told them that fasting was not for everyone for various reasons. I specifically pointed out that fasting for type II diabetes requires medical intervention and supervision.
I referred them to an integrative medicine doctor specializing in type II diabetes. They loved the idea of being treated holistically by a qualified healthcare professional.
Time-Restricted Eating Made the Biggest Impact
Mark and Lucy started performing a supervised intermittent fasting regime supported by a qualified healthcare professional who had access to their medical records.
They started with a 12-hour fasting window. Then physician increased it to 18 hours every third day. Their blood glucose and insulin profile significantly improved.
The time-restricted eating with their customized diet and excellent physical workout program started making ripple effects in their healing process.
After a year, their physician told them their blood glucose had normalized. They did not show symptoms of type II diabetes anymore. This was a remarkable achievement for a mature couple who suffered from the effects of this debilitating condition.
More importantly, they did not need any medication or surgery. Except in earlier days, their physician gave them a few months of metformin prescription, which was removed after their blood sugar normalized.
In addition to losing substantial visceral fat and keeping lean muscles, their mental health was enhanced, and they started seeing the world brighter with improved vision. They used to have diabetic retinopathy.
Inspiring and Empowering Celebration
Everyone in the community noticed a significant improvement in Mark’s and Lucy’s physical and mental health. They found their ideal weight with an acceptable range of visceral fat.
They looked at least 20 years younger than before. More importantly, their mood improved. Their children and grandchildren got thrilled. They sent them to cruise around the pacific to celebrate this remarkable success.
When they returned from the holidays, Mark asked how they could pay for my contributions. I told them I played the role of just a catalyst for their success by giving them a few valuable tips and connecting them to the right resources. Mark insisted they should do something for me.
I offered to organize a big community party and raise funds for unprivileged diabetic people. My goal was to enable disadvantaged people in our community to access a qualified dietician, an integrative healthcare specialist, and a sports coach.
During the party, Mark and Lucy made an excellent speech reflecting their experience from the heart. The participants were touched by their emotional stories.
At that party, we raised around 50,000 AUD. This charity fund helped several other couples like Mark and Lucy to reverse their diabetic condition.
More inspiringly, when Lucy and Mark sold one of their farms the year after, they donated 100K to the charity fund, empowering many more people’s lives.
The fusion happened when Mark and Lucy collaborated with wealthy and altruistic Maggie, who reversed her obesity and metabolic syndrome, whom I introduced in another story before. This unique and synergistic collaboration gave more disadvantaged people access to a better healthcare system.
Conclusions and Takeaways
I wanted to share the inspiring success story of this retired mature-age couple who lost significant visceral fat and reversed their diabetes after adopting a new workout and eating regimen for three reasons.
The first reason is to inform my readers that there are always solutions to deal with metabolic health conditions. The second is to inspire the reader to seek solutions by learning from the success of others. And the third is to pass along this valuable knowledge and contribute to reducing obesity in society as we are all connected.
Healthcare professionals believe that there is no cure for type II diabetes. However, it is possible to reverse the condition and reduce the symptoms. By no cure, they mean that the symptoms might come back if the patients start having uncontrollable blood glucose.
The human body has healing power. However, we need to activate the self-healing system consciously. Throughout history, millions of people cured or reversed their health conditions.
Learning about autophagy and mitophagy can be invaluable for changing our health conditions.
For example, some people defeated cancers, improved heart conditions, and some people overcame their depression and got rid of brain fog. I reversed leaky gut, chronic inflammation, and arthritis as the symptoms did not return. Ironically when I was pre-diabetic in my mid-20s, I gained six-pack abs after my 50s.
When we reinforce our behavior and turn them into healthy lifestyle habits, we can create solutions to address the risks of metabolic diseases such as type II diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and stroke.
Thus, if we can connect the body and mind by taking personal responsibility and corrective actions, we can generate helpful thoughts and emotions and turn them into effective behaviors.
Then the factors beyond our control can have a more negligible effect. For example, we can create epigenetic effects with healthy lifestyle habits by reducing genetic constraints.
Like Lucy and Mark, many people successfully lost substantial visceral fat and reversed their diabetes after adopting a new workout and eating regimen.
Takeaways
Here are the key takeaway points of this story.
1 — Accept the situation and seek help from loved ones, friends, and qualified healthcare professionals.
2 — Stay optimistic and obtain support from a family doctor, a dietician, and a specialist in metabolic health.
3 — Customize diet and exercise regimen and remain persistent.
4 — Consider time-restricted eating with supervision from qualified healthcare professionals such as an integrative medicine doctor.
5 — Participate in community activities to stay active and involved.
6 — Celebrate every success and contribute to the healing of others.
I have written many more success stories like this, reflecting on real-life scenarios to pass along my tacit knowledge. You might find related stories in a collection titled, Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
The following article provides guidance on how to measure and monitor blood glucose proactively.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
If you find this story helpful, the attached three stories might provide additional perspectives on improving our metabolic health.
1 — How an Elderly Couple Eliminated Anabolic Resistance and Lowered the Risk of Sarcopenia in 7 Steps
2 — Here’s How to Retain Metabolic Flexibility and Insulin Sensitivity with Anabolic and Catabolic Balance.
3 — Here’s Why Our Midsections Grow As We Age and How to Shrink Them in Seven Steps.
If you find this article valuable, you might check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting on my reviews, observations, and decades of sensible experiments. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.
Sample Health Improvement Articles for New Readers
Besides aiming to increase the hormonal intelligence of my readers and writing about neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, GABA, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine, one of my goals as a writer is to raise awareness about the causes and risk factors of prevalent diseases that can lead to suffering and death for a large portion of the population.
I aim to educate, create awareness, and empower my readers to take control of their health and well-being.
To raise awareness about health issues, I have written several articles that present my holistic health findings from research, personal observations, and unique experiences. Below are links to these articles for easy access.
Metabolic Syndrome, Type II Diabetes, Fatty Liver Disease, Heart Disease, Strokes, Obesity, Liver Cancer, Autoimmune Disorders, Homocysteine, Lungs Health, Pancreas Health, Kidneys Health, NCDs, Infectious Diseases, Brain Health, Dementia, Depression, Brain Atrophy, Neonatal Disorders, Skin Health, Dental Health, Bone Health, Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain, Brain Fog, Chronic Inflammation, Insulin Resistance, Elevated Cortisol, Leptin Resistance, Anabolic Resistance, Cholesterol, High Triglycerides, Metabolic Disorders, Gastrointestinal Disorders, and Major Diseases.
I also wrote about valuable nutrients. Here are the links for easy access:
Lutein/Zeaxanthin, Boron, Urolithin, taurine, citrulline malate, biotin, lithium orotate, alpha-lipoic acid, n-acetyl-cysteine, acetyl-l-carnitine, CoQ10, PQQ, NADH, TMG, creatine, choline, digestive enzymes, magnesium, zinc, hydrolyzed collagen, nootropics, pure nicotine, activated charcoal, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine, and other nutrients to improve metabolism and mental health.
Disclaimer: Please note that my posts do not include professional or health advice. I document my reviews, observations, experience, and perspectives only to provide information and create awareness.
I publish my lifestyle, health, and well-being stories on EUPHORIA. My focus is on metabolic, cellular, mitochondrial, and mental health. Here is my collection of Insightful Life Lessons from Personal Stories.
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As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.
Sample Humorous Stories
Finally, After Burning Her House, Georgia Found Enlightenment
Hilarious Tips to Prevent Brain Atrophy and Keep the Gray Matter Giggling
8 Psychological Points I Had to Unlearn and Relearn the Opposite
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